Despite his great return against Real Mallorca (2-1 win), Memphis Depay has not been able to completely dispel the doubts of the Spanish media. The 28-year-old attacker was surprisingly preferred over Ousmane Dembélé on Sunday evening and returned to the base after two reserve turns. Depay paid back Xavi’s trust by opening the score in the 25th minute.
After three consecutive home defeats, Barcelona finally managed to win again in front of their own audience against Mallorca. Depay showed himself extremely cool in the first half as he received a bow from Jordi Alba over the defense and took the ball on the edge of the penalty area. He then planted the leather in the left corner behind goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who was transfixed.
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The Dutchman receives a wonderful ball from Jordi Alba and gives the home team the lead: 1-0 ????#ZiggoSport #LaLiga #BarçaRCDMallorca pic.twitter.com/XDuvYCwrSN— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) May 1, 2022
“Great shot, accurate shot. He didn’t do much different than usual, but that was worth gold today,” writes Mundo Deportivo† “The game was satisfying at times, with Memphis’s vindictiveness standing out.” Sport rewarded the Dutchman’s performance with 8, but saw that he was having a hard time as a left winger until his goal.
Bee marca However, there were also doubts. “Some people argue that he should stay, others do not believe that he is the right center forward for a team that plays for titles,” the paper writes. Memphis scored and carried the weight of the whole Barca attack, but it was against Mallorca. He has not yet shown it in the big matches against the top clubs. That is why the doubts remain.”